As a part of the MITRE Bridging Innovation mission to build pathways to discover, accelerate, and deliver innovation from non-traditional sources, MITRE co-sponsored the recent Federal Supernova conference hosted by Capital Factory. The virtual conference focused on defense innovation in Texas while also presenting successes in other geographic areas. The format included well-known national presenters, a variety of panels, and opportunities for meetups with individuals and organizations. The participants included the Army Futures Command, AFWERX, Defense Innovation, NGA, Texas Military Department, and many others. Corporate representatives, entrepreneurs, startups and venture capitalists collaborated together through this unique forum.
Bobby Blount, San Antonio Site Leader, led a panel focused on the San Antonio Cyber Ecosystem which was attended by 388 participants. The Showcase Panel included Rick Lipsey (Alamo AFCEA), Jim Perschbach (Port San Antonio), Will Garrett (Build Sec Foundry), Greg Ake (Level Effect), Melissa Unsell-Smith (Rectify), Chris Gerritz (Infocyte), Richard Valdez (IPSecure). In addition to the panel lead, MITRE staff Rafael Garcia, Ivan Chestnutt, Will Price, and our contractor, Elaine Cummins staffed the MITRE virtual booth.
